While searching for a Jewish organization that’s planted in Israel and spreads over seas, it suddenly hit me – what is more Jewish than the holocaust? And from there my thoughts went right to "yad vashem" – the incredibly influential Israeli organization for immortalizing the Jewish holocaust?
Research Article: Yad Vashem
The organization I chose to base my project on is Yad Vashem – the Israeli-Jewish organization that’s dedicated to preserving the Jewish holocaust - “As the Jewish people’s living memorial to the Holocaust, Yad Vashem safeguards the memory of the past and imparts its meaning for future generations”. (Yad Vashem website - see notes) - That’s the general description that’s given by Yad Vashem as for their goals . Yad Vashem works non-stop organizing and planning new ideas, in the purpose of, again, raising the awareness of the world to the holocaust in past and its meaning and influence on the present. They work nonstop in raising awareness and commemorating the holocaust in as many hearts as possible. In the process for achievement they teach classes, open nation-wide websites and hold all sorts of different ceremonies, basically opening a door for all those that it matters to them, and are willing to listen. I'll give an example for one of the "door opening" actions - commemorative occasion—on January 27, 2008, Yad Vashem planned and hosted the International Youth Congress as part of its activities to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day. One hundred and twelve representatives from sixty-two countries had an opportunity to meet at Yad Vashem, present their ideas and opinions on the subject of advancing Holocaust remembrance and its significance and influence for the future. Christians, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists--speakers of 30 different languages--discussed Holocaust remembrance and its importance for the coming generations. Here are a couple of quotes from a few of the participants (taken from an article about the event – see notes) this is Alejandro Coriat, a young representative from Venezuela, about his experience in the congress:" You showed us the perfect combination of analyses with personal stories... it was a life changing experience.” And this is from Adalberg Wagner, another one of the participants represantives, from Austria:"I hope young people, four or five generations after the Holocaust, will recognize the early beginnings of anti-Semitism, xenophobia and racism so we can do something to prevent it.”. There was a number of touching sayings by the repersantitves and from every one who took part in the project– but they are less connected to my point and more indentified to the political terms – which isn’t exactly what im heading for in this paper – although, I will say that that is another level in which Yad Vashem operates in – the image of the Israeli country internationally. Another example of their work in eliminating physical restrictions and giving everyone everywhere access to information (opening doors for those who and willing to come in) --for the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz- Birkenau concentration camps, Yad Vashem opened a site, and presented a map to the European press, which showed the educational activities conducted by each country concerning the Holocaust – Yad Vashem has a school where they teach teachers about the holocaust and ways to move on the information to the students. It opens seminars on a international scale – you can come from china and take a course (and that’s not only on the hypothetical level – there has been and are planned right now projects of the sort). These two tremendous accomplishments happened a long time ago, and I am showing them not because the organization wasn’t active for the past couple of months/years - just the opposite! All you need to do is go on the Yad Vashem website and you'll be flooded with information about the different activities Yad Vashem is aiming to achieve – amazing things such as – in October 24 they opened a course for educators from China. On March 10th they gave- for the first time –an award for a research book on the subject of the Holocaust. On April 10th the Prince and Princess of Spain came for a visit – all that without mentioning the heartwarming scene of award ceremonies for The Righteous Among the Nations, and the many sad rituals in remembrance of specific events in the Holocaust(not trying to sound cynical – but there are a lot of those). Yad Vashem is physically located in Israel – based in a museum here in Jerusalem, But because it acts as a magnet for overseas visitors, and because of it's influence on them when they return to their countries, and the websites that broadcast it's information all over the world, I do think that it is safe to say that it is a notable and influential organization overseas as well as just here. Every important diplomat, while visiting Israel adds Yad Vashem automatically to the list of places to see and visit. Every person who comes to Yad Vashem willing to listen and with an open heart can't stay apathetic. It is a true life changing experience, one not likely to be forgotten. Personally I think Yad Vashem did reach their general main goal (mentioned above). Barack Obama summarized it pretty nicely here, in an interview about the imprint left by visiting Yad Vashem (Yad Vashem – videos). he said: “the people of Israel created a monument that belongs not only to them but to the entire world”. (video below - 4:16)
My research question - How does the "yad vashem" organization manage to influence people abroad to understand the magnitude of theimportance of remembering the holocaust, and what kind of memorials do they create in Israel and abroad to achieve their goals of nationwide awareness.
Profile: Malca Puetercuvski - Halacha in the service of the Jewish community
Malca Puetercuvski was born in 25.11.96, in Israel, Ashdod. She grew up next to 5 other sisters – no sons. And while the absence of a brother was felt by the family, Malca's father (he worked as a Construction Contractor-but in his youth years he was a "talmid haham"(brilliant student), and he had a lot of knowledge) discovered that he may not have a son, but that doesn't necessarily mean he couldn’t pass his knowledge on, maybe he didn’t have a son, but he did have a daughter who was eager to listen and learn. He taught her halacha, Gemara and Talmud – this was while it was considered forbidden to teach girls of these subjects, partly because girls were thought as incapable of learning such. Malca, apart from her other accomplishments, proved that Misapprehension as wrong from the root ,not mentioning insulting. Malca gained so much knowledge in these areas and loved them so much, that she decided to continue her education in the university in this subject, even if she couldn’t do anything with it after she graduated. However, reality didn’t fulfill her expectations, because, naturally, she was placed with all the other girls in the class, where the study material was too easy for to Malca, considering her past education. And so she went to the head of the department, asking him to transfer her to the boy's class, which was on her level. And after a test to prove her capability to fit there she was allowed to sit in the back of the class, silently. There, she had an actual learning and enriching experience. and the education she acquired there helped her in her future activities. Malca spent a decade teaching in different learning frameworks. One of them was a project for youth at risk, where she taught the teenagers Jewish holy and literary sources, and made her of Recognize the significance and power they had. After the murder of Prime Minister Rabin, she was shocked at the terrible act, but even more so from the declaration of the killer, that the deed was in the name of the Jewish law. It was then, the Hostile behavior that was directed against the Religious Zionist society amidst, she understood that one of the greatest problems in the situation was that people didn’t know us, were not aware of the good sides in us, and all they saw was the image left by the killer. So she made a life-changing decision: to turn the Jewish Halacha to something that can only be useful and helpful for the Israeli Jewish community – she made herself a promise, that she will work in attempt to channel the Jewish Halacha to benefit the Israeli Jewish society in general and the common Jewish people in specific. While operating on her goal (mentioned above) – giving speeches, teaching, explaining, a friend of hers called, and told her a terrible story. The friend worked back then in the head of "kolech"(your voice) which is a feminist religious organization. The friend told her a terrible story about two different women who had both been sexually molested by the same person, who used his authority as the college head master to hurt them. That was the beginning of the "Forum Takanah"- A forum dedicated to treat and prevent sexual harassment by authority figures in the religious community. While working there, Malca found her education useful -from convincing prominent and important rabbis to support them, to giving out Halacha reform suggestions. Another project form Malca's list is "magalei Tzedek" (circles of justice) magalei Tzedek ia a social activism with education that works in effort to fix social ills – including fair treatment of minimum wage workers, accessibility for the disabled, minimum living standards, social justice for refugees and foreign workers, and enforcement of laws against human trafficking. Malca is one of the people supporting the project and keeping the wheels rolling.
I chose to do my interview on Malca Puetercuvski because I practically lived my whole life next to her and her family, I grew up with her daughters, and my family is in close connections with hers (we just became neighbors – this summer). And in spite of that, I never heard more than a few vague words about her life and work. So I thought it could be a really nice thing to do. And I don’t regret it. I learned so much – not only about her, but about all the things she took a part in creating, that now stand tall, representative amazing actins, ideas and people. Also – the feminist ideas that Malca stands behind, are very close to my heart, and I found it fascinating to talk to her.
Personal Connection: Jewish Coals
Fire, brothers- FIRE! Our town is burning whole! Black winds rage Flames of destruction rise It's traces are gone and it is on fire And you stand aside Not lending a hand Not putting out the flames! Fire, brothers- FIRE! Thehour is so dangerously near For the flames shall not rest They shall destroy all of us Only the walls will be left to testify What once was here And you stand aside Not lending a hand Not puting out the flames Fire, brothers- FIRE! Only you can help.
This song was written by a Jewish Polish carpenter named Mordechaj Gebirtig as an expression of his feelings after the Przytyk pogrom in Poland. The original song was in Yiddish and was also composed by him (I should note – he didn’t even know how to read or write musical notes). Moredechaj testified about himself crying bitterly while writing it. The song was a huge success and was sung on stage as well as in the streets. Moredechaj wrote the song before the Holocaust, and as a result he is considered by many as someone who anticipated the horrors ahead (the Holocaust). He himself found his death in the Krakow Ghetto during deportation by the Nazis to the Extermination Camp Bełżec. The songs real breakthrough and the reason for its relative popularity today is that during the Holocaust, It was used as the anthem of the Jewish underground in Krakow. Other than the song being beautiful in its lugubrious way, I think that not only is it pertinent for today, it is also attached to tomorrow. Its message is as relevant for the Israeli people today like it was for the Jewish population in Poland. We may deny the truth in front of our eyes but the fact remains, that some of us are burning our village, while the rest are no better standing alongside the destruction, doing nothing, not even trying to control the fire. The Krakow people realized this after it was too late for them– but it isn’t too late for us! If we could just open our minds to accept what we see – we could rebuild using the song’s meaning and turn it from a futile attempt to awaken the deaf listeners to a warning that actually makes people understand and act. Notes: the song was originally written in Yiddish. Since I cant read Yiddish, I trusted and translated the Hebrew translation of the song: שְׂרֵפָה, אַחִים, שְׂרֵפָה!
I began my project without a clear idea of what I was heading for, and I just decided to roll with the different options, considering and exploring them, and as I moved on, i chose the ones that interested me the most and left the deepest mark on me. That was the way I chose Yad Vashem as the organization I'd like to do my research about. I have been exposed to so many amazing Israeli organizations, the amount was quite overwhelming, though, considering the general state of mind of Israeli society it's actually rather predictable that there are so many organizations of this sort (organizations based on volunteers – donations or other sort of support). What did amaze me was the how these organizations were willing to reach out of their own comfort zone to help others—whether it be in Israel or abroad. In doing this work and in talking with my fellow students about their work, I learned about various fields of social action. Yad Vashem has many volunteers, but it is not formally a "volunteer organization". Many people receive salaries and some are probably very well paid. However, it is clear that there is a burning sense of purpose that drives everyone working there – that Jewish ambition to bring good, I all the ways they can. I saw that spirit in Malca while interviewing her. You could see that desire in everything she did. Her giving energies are so kind and honest, I enjoyed every minute of the interview. Two-thirds of my project is connected to the holocaust, and that is not by accident. I find that there is a very tight connection between the oppression that the Jewish people suffered and their inclinations to help others today. As a people we tend to be willing to help in any way that we can. That’s why I called my project "Jewish Spirits".
Jewish Spirits
Hanna Cooper
Mellissa Weglein
Neve Chanah
28/12/2011Table of Contents
Rationale
While searching for a Jewish organization that’s planted in Israel and spreads over seas, it suddenly hit me – what is more Jewish than the holocaust? And from there my thoughts went right to "yad vashem" – the incredibly influential Israeli organization for immortalizing the Jewish holocaust?
Research Article: Yad Vashem
The organization I chose to base my project on is Yad Vashem – the Israeli-Jewish organization that’s dedicated to preserving the Jewish holocaust - “As the Jewish people’s living memorial to the Holocaust, Yad Vashem safeguards the memory of the past and imparts its meaning for future generations”. (Yad Vashem website - see notes) - That’s the general description that’s given by Yad Vashem as for their goals . Yad Vashem works non-stop organizing and planning new ideas, in the purpose of, again, raising the awareness of the world to the holocaust in past and its meaning and influence on the present. They work nonstop in raising awareness and commemorating the holocaust in as many hearts as possible. In the process for achievement they teach classes, open nation-wide websites and hold all sorts of different ceremonies, basically opening a door for all those that it matters to them, and are willing to listen.I'll give an example for one of the "door opening" actions - commemorative occasion—on January 27, 2008, Yad Vashem planned and hosted the International Youth Congress as part of its activities to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day. One hundred and twelve representatives from sixty-two countries had an opportunity to meet at Yad Vashem, present their ideas and opinions on the subject of advancing Holocaust remembrance and its significance and influence for the future. Christians, Jews, Muslims and Buddhists--speakers of 30 different languages--discussed Holocaust remembrance and its importance for the coming generations. Here are a couple of quotes from a few of the participants (taken from an article about the event – see notes) this is Alejandro Coriat, a young representative from Venezuela, about his experience in the congress:" You showed us the perfect combination of analyses with personal stories... it was a life changing experience.” And this is from Adalberg Wagner, another one of the participants represantives, from Austria:"I hope young people, four or five generations after the Holocaust, will recognize the early beginnings of anti-Semitism, xenophobia and racism so we can do something to prevent it.”. There was a number of touching sayings by the repersantitves and from every one who took part in the project– but they are less connected to my point and more indentified to the political terms – which isn’t exactly what im heading for in this paper – although, I will say that that is another level in which Yad Vashem operates in – the image of the Israeli country internationally.
Another example of their work in eliminating physical restrictions and giving everyone everywhere access to information (opening doors for those who and willing to come in) --for the 60th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz- Birkenau concentration camps, Yad Vashem opened a site, and presented a map to the European press, which showed the educational activities conducted by each country concerning the Holocaust – Yad Vashem has a school where they teach teachers about the holocaust and ways to move on the information to the students. It opens seminars on a international scale – you can come from china and take a course (and that’s not only on the hypothetical level – there has been and are planned right now projects of the sort).
These two tremendous accomplishments happened a long time ago, and I am showing them not because the organization wasn’t active for the past couple of months/years - just the opposite! All you need to do is go on the Yad Vashem website and you'll be flooded with information about the different activities Yad Vashem is aiming to achieve – amazing things such as – in October 24 they opened a course for educators from China. On March 10th they gave- for the first time –an award for a research book on the subject of the Holocaust. On April 10th the Prince and Princess of Spain came for a visit – all that without mentioning the heartwarming scene of award ceremonies for The Righteous Among the Nations, and the many sad rituals in remembrance of specific events in the Holocaust(not trying to sound cynical – but there are a lot of those).
Yad Vashem is physically located in Israel – based in a museum here in Jerusalem, But because it acts as a magnet for overseas visitors, and because of it's influence on them when they return to their countries, and the websites that broadcast it's information all over the world, I do think that it is safe to say that it is a notable and influential organization overseas as well as just here. Every important diplomat, while visiting Israel adds Yad Vashem automatically to the list of places to see and visit. Every person who comes to Yad Vashem willing to listen and with an open heart can't stay apathetic. It is a true life changing experience, one not likely to be forgotten. Personally I think Yad Vashem did reach their general main goal (mentioned above). Barack Obama summarized it pretty nicely here, in an interview about the imprint left by visiting Yad Vashem (Yad Vashem – videos). he said: “the people of Israel created a monument that belongs not only to them but to the entire world”. (video below - 4:16)
My research question - How does the "yad vashem" organization manage to influence people abroad to understand the magnitude of theimportance of remembering the holocaust, and what kind of memorials do they create in Israel and abroad to achieve their goals of nationwide awareness.
Profile: Malca Puetercuvski - Halacha in the service of the Jewish community
Malca Puetercuvski was born in 25.11.96, in Israel, Ashdod. She grew up next to 5 other sisters – no sons. And while the absence of a brother was felt by the family, Malca's father (he worked as a Construction Contractor-but in his youth years he was a "talmid haham"(brilliant student), and he had a lot of knowledge) discovered that he may not have a son, but that doesn't necessarily mean he couldn’t pass his knowledge on, maybe he didn’t have a son, but he did have a daughter who was eager to listen and learn. He taught her halacha, Gemara and Talmud – this was while it was considered forbidden to teach girls of these subjects, partly because girls were thought as incapable of learning such. Malca, apart from her other accomplishments, proved that Misapprehension as wrong from the root ,not mentioning insulting.
Malca gained so much knowledge in these areas and loved them so much, that she decided to continue her education in the university in this subject, even if she couldn’t do anything with it after she graduated. However, reality didn’t fulfill her expectations, because, naturally, she was placed with all the other girls in the class, where the study material was too easy for to Malca, considering her past education. And so she went to the head of the department, asking him to transfer her to the boy's class, which was on her level. And after a test to prove her capability to fit there she was allowed to sit in the back of the class, silently. There, she had an actual learning and enriching experience. and the education she acquired there helped her in her future activities.
Malca spent a decade teaching in different learning frameworks. One of them was a project for youth at risk, where she taught the teenagers Jewish holy and literary sources, and made her of Recognize the significance and power they had.
After the murder of Prime Minister Rabin, she was shocked at the terrible act, but even more so from the declaration of the killer, that the deed was in the name of the Jewish law. It was then, the Hostile behavior that was directed against the Religious Zionist society amidst, she understood that one of the greatest problems in the situation was that people didn’t know us, were not aware of the good sides in us, and all they saw was the image left by the killer. So she made a life-changing decision: to turn the Jewish Halacha to something that can only be useful and helpful for the Israeli Jewish community – she made herself a promise, that she will work in attempt to channel the Jewish Halacha to benefit the Israeli Jewish society in general and the common Jewish people in specific.
While operating on her goal (mentioned above) – giving speeches, teaching, explaining, a friend of hers called, and told her a terrible story. The friend worked back then in the head of "kolech"(your voice) which is a feminist religious organization. The friend told her a terrible story about two different women who had both been sexually molested by the same person, who used his authority as the college head master to hurt them. That was the beginning of the "Forum Takanah"- A forum dedicated to treat and prevent sexual harassment by authority figures in the religious community. While working there, Malca found her education useful -from convincing prominent and important rabbis to support them, to giving out Halacha reform suggestions.
Another project form Malca's list is "magalei Tzedek" (circles of justice) magalei Tzedek ia a social activism with education that works in effort to fix social ills – including fair treatment of minimum wage workers, accessibility for the disabled, minimum living standards, social justice for refugees and foreign workers, and enforcement of laws against human trafficking. Malca is one of the people supporting the project and keeping the wheels rolling.
I chose to do my interview on Malca Puetercuvski because I practically lived my whole life next to her and her family, I grew up with her daughters, and my family is in close connections with hers (we just became neighbors – this summer). And in spite of that, I never heard more than a few vague words about her life and work. So I thought it could be a really nice thing to do. And I don’t regret it. I learned so much – not only about her, but about all the things she took a part in creating, that now stand tall, representative amazing actins, ideas and people. Also – the feminist ideas that Malca stands behind, are very close to my heart, and I found it fascinating to talk to her.
Personal Connection: Jewish Coals
Fire, brothers- FIRE!
Our town is burning whole!
Black winds rage Flames of destruction rise
It's traces are gone and it is on fire
And you stand aside
Not lending a hand
Not putting out the flames!
Fire, brothers- FIRE!
Thehour is so dangerously near
For the flames shall not rest
They shall destroy all of us
Only the walls will be left to testify
What once was here
And you stand aside
Not lending a hand
Not puting out the flames
Fire, brothers- FIRE!
Only you can help.
This song was written by a Jewish Polish carpenter named Mordechaj Gebirtig as an expression of his feelings after the Przytyk pogrom in Poland. The original song was in Yiddish and was also composed by him (I should note – he didn’t even know how to read or write musical notes). Moredechaj testified about himself crying bitterly while writing it. The song was a huge success and was sung on stage as well as in the streets. Moredechaj wrote the song before the Holocaust, and as a result he is considered by many as someone who anticipated the horrors ahead (the Holocaust). He himself found his death in the Krakow Ghetto during deportation by the Nazis to the Extermination Camp Bełżec. The songs real breakthrough and the reason for its relative popularity today is that during the Holocaust, It was used as the anthem of the Jewish underground in Krakow.
Other than the song being beautiful in its lugubrious way, I think that not only is it pertinent for today, it is also attached to tomorrow. Its message is as relevant for the Israeli people today like it was for the Jewish population in Poland. We may deny the truth in front of our eyes but the fact remains, that some of us are burning our village, while the rest are no better standing alongside the destruction, doing nothing, not even trying to control the fire. The Krakow people realized this after it was too late for them– but it isn’t too late for us! If we could just open our minds to accept what we see – we could rebuild using the song’s meaning and turn it from a futile attempt to awaken the deaf listeners to a warning that actually makes people understand and act.
Notes: the song was originally written in Yiddish. Since I cant read Yiddish, I trusted and translated the Hebrew translation of the song:
שְׂרֵפָה, אַחִים, שְׂרֵפָה!
עֲיָרָתֵנוּ בּוֹעֲרָה כֻּלָּהּ,
בָּה רוּחוֹת שְׁחֹרוֹת יִסְעָרוּ,
לַהֲבוֹת חֻרְבָּן יִבְעָרוּ,
עִקְּבוֹתֶיהָ לֹא נִשְׁאָרוּ,
הִיא עוֹלָה בָּאֵשׁ.
וְאַתֶּם חוֹבְקִים יָדַיִם
בְּלִי הוֹשִׁיט עֶזְרָה,
בְּלִי כַּבּוֹת אֶת אֵשׁ הַלַּהַב,
אֵשׁ הָעֲיָרָה.
שְׂרֵפָה, אַחִים, שְׂרֵפָה!
קְרוֹבָה, חַס וְחָלִילָה, הַשָּׁעָה,
כִּי הַלְּהָבוֹת יַתְמִידוּ,
אֶת כֻּלָּנוּ פֹּה יַשְׁמִידוּ,
רַק שְׂרִידֵי קִירוֹת יָעִידוּ
מַה שֶּׁפֹּה הָיָה.
וְאַתֶּם חוֹבְקִים יָדַיִם
בְּלִי הוֹשִׁיט עֶזְרָה,
בְּלִי כַּבּוֹת אֶת אֵשׁ הַלַּהַב,
אֵשׁ הָעֲיָרָה.
שְׂרֵפָה, אַחִים, שְׂרֵפָה!
רַק בְּיַדְכֶם בִּלְבַד הִיא הָעֶזְרָה.
חִישׁ הוֹשִׁיטוּ יָד אוֹהֶבֶת
וְהַצִּילוּ מֵהַמָּוֶת,
בְּדַמְכֶם כַּבּוּ שַׁלְהֶבֶת,
חִישׁ כַּבּוּ בְּדָם.
מֵרָחוֹק אַל תַּעֲמֹדוּ,
כִּי הָאֵשׁ עוֹלָה.
אַל נָא תְּחַבְּקוּ יָדַיִם,
הַשְּׂרֵפָה גְּדוֹלָה!
And the original Yiddish:
'ברענט, ברידער, עס ברענט
אוי אונדזער שטעטל נעבעך ברענט,
בייזע ווינטן מיט ירגזון,
רײַסן ברעכן און צעבלאָזן
שטאַרקער נאָך די ווילדע פֿלאַמען
אַלץ אַרום שוין ברענט!
און איר שטייט און קוקט אזוי זיך,
מיט פֿאַרלייגטע הענט
און איר שטייט און קוקט אַזוי זיך,
אונדזער שטעטל ברענט.
ס'ברענט, ברידעלעך, ס'ברענט,
אוי אונדזער שטעטל נעבעך ברענט,
ס'האָבן שוין די פֿײַער צונגען,
ס'גאַנצע שטעטל אײַנגעשלונגען,
און די בייזע ווינטן הודזשען,
ס'גאַנצע שטעטל ברענט!
און איר שטייט ...
ס'ברענט, ברידעלעך, ס'ברענט
אוי ס'קען חלילה קומען דער מאָמענט
אונדזער שטאָט מיט אונדז צוזאַמען,
זאָל אַוועק אין אַש און פֿלאַמען,
בלײַבן זאָל ווי נאָך אַ שלאַכט,
נאָר פוסטע שוואַרצע ווענט.
און איר שטייט ...
ס' ברענט, ברידעלעך, ס'ברענט.
די הילף איז נאָר אין אײַך אַליין געווענדעט,
אויב דאָס שטעטל איז אײַך טײַער
נעמט די כלים לעשט דאָס פֿײַער,
לעשט מיט אַײַער אייגן בלוט,
באַווײַסט אַז איר דאָס קענט.
שטייט נישט, ברידער, אָט אַזוי זיך,
מיט פֿארלייגטע הענט!
שטייט נישט ברידער, לעשט דאָס פֿײַער,
אונדזער שטעטל ברענט!
you can hear a early version of the song in yeddish here -
http://www.zemereshet.co.il/FlashPlayer/player.asp?version_id=508
Reflection
I began my project without a clear idea of what I was heading for, and I just decided to roll with the different options, considering and exploring them, and as I moved on, i chose the ones that interested me the most and left the deepest mark on me. That was the way I chose Yad Vashem as the organization I'd like to do my research about. I have been exposed to so many amazing Israeli organizations, the amount was quite overwhelming, though, considering the general state of mind of Israeli society it's actually rather predictable that there are so many organizations of this sort (organizations based on volunteers – donations or other sort of support). What did amaze me was the how these organizations were willing to reach out of their own comfort zone to help others—whether it be in Israel or abroad.
In doing this work and in talking with my fellow students about their work, I learned about various fields of social action. Yad Vashem has many volunteers, but it is not formally a "volunteer organization". Many people receive salaries and some are probably very well paid. However, it is clear that there is a burning sense of purpose that drives everyone working there – that Jewish ambition to bring good, I all the ways they can. I saw that spirit in Malca while interviewing her. You could see that desire in everything she did. Her giving energies are so kind and honest, I enjoyed every minute of the interview.
Two-thirds of my project is connected to the holocaust, and that is not by accident. I find that there is a very tight connection between the oppression that the Jewish people suffered and their inclinations to help others today. As a people we tend to be willing to help in any way that we can. That’s why I called my project "Jewish Spirits".
Sources
research article - http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4063103,00.htmlhttp://www.yadvashem.org/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yad_Vashemhttp://www1.yadvashem.org/yv/en/education/international_projects/youth_congress/index.asp
Interview - Hanna Cooper and Malca Puetercuvski (24/11/11)
Malca Puetercuvski – Wikipedia page- http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%9E%D7%9C%D7%9B%D7%94_%D7%A4%D7%99%D7%95%D7%98%D7%A8%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%91%D7%A1%D7%A7%D7%99
magalei Tzedek – official website - http://www.mtzedek.org.il/english/AboutUs.asp
Forum Takanah - official website - http://takana.org.il/default.asp
personal connection - Both versions were taken from zemereshet: http://www.zemereshet.co.il/song.asp?id=526
the information about Mordechaj Gebirtig was taken from Wikipedia: http://he.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D7%9E%D7%A8%D7%93%D7%9B%D7%99_%D7%92%D7%91%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%98%D7%99%D7%92